To Be of Use

Introduction

Born in Detroit, Michigan, in the midst of the Great Depression, Marge Piercy (b. 1936) is an American poet and novelist, perhaps most famous for her New York Times best-selling novel Gone to Soldiers (1988). The first in her family to attend college, Piercy published her first book of poems in 1968. Since then, she has authored 15 novels, a play, and 17 volumes of poetry. In this poem, first published in a volume of the same name in 1973, Piercy suggests how people work is as important as what they do.

Examine the images the poem uses to describe admirable ways of working: jumping into work head first; harnessing oneself, an ox to a heavy cart; submerging oneself in the task. What idea of working do these images convey? What does Piercy mean by “real work”? Is it true that everyone wants it? What is the meaning of the poem’s title? Do you aspire “to be of use”?

The people I love the bestjump into work head firstwithout dallying in the shallowsand swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.They seem to become natives of that element,the black sleek heads of sealsbouncing like half-submerged balls.

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,who do what has to be done, again and again.

I want to be with people who submergein the task, who go into the fields to harvestand work in a row and pass the bags along,who are not parlor generals and field desertersbut move in a common rhythmwhen the food must come in or the fire be put out.

The work of the world is common as mud.Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.But the thing worth doing well donehas a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.Greek amphoras for wine or oil,Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museumsbut you know they were made to be used.The pitcher cries for water to carryand a person for work that is real.

One Discussions Posted

This poem has been my favorite poem for many years. My church, Starr King Unitarian Universalist Church, just launched a search committee to replace our minister of fifteen years. The facilitator kicked off with a reading of this poem! It so fit our effort and who our group is, that we have decided it is to be the “Search Poem.”

I was hoping to find that someone has put it to music. Three of us in the group are a trio that sings at the church, and we would love to pay tribute to our effort, and help people appreciate how we see that work by singing the song. Has it ever been put to music? I’ve been Googling and haven’t found anything yet, so I thought I’d ask here.